Wintertime
by Gentle Touch Ginger
Summary: Set in GarGoyl's "Rise of the Emerald Princess", Shinigami Kid feels compelled to help two girls he finds on the streets.


Hello! I procrastinated posting this for a very long time. :P This is based off GarGoyl's "Rise of The Emerald Princess". ( u/2070540/GarGoyl) and ( s/9828318/1/Rise-of-the-Emerald-Princess). You can understand it pretty well without reading her story, but it's very good and I highly recommend it!

Thanks to GarGoyl for letting me use her AU, helping with the edits, and for letting me post this!

This is dedicated to all my friends, old and new. A very special potato named Cheyenne, Aurelyn, Bee, Ginny, Harrison, Olivia, Julia, and all the others I have forgotten. But I love you guys!

* * *

It was winter when he found them. His father had trusted him to go to the marketplace on his own for the first time. Not to buy food, of course, that was a job for their servants, but to look around and get some fresh air.

"My sister, please, someone, help!"

Snow was falling, more like an icy rain or slush, but Kid was nice and warm under his cloak.

Suddenly, an ice cold hand gripped his wrist. He looked down to see a young girl, no more than eight, her blond hair knotted and dirty, and her thin dress raggedy and patched. Through the grime on her face, blue eyes seemed into shine into his.

"Please, you've got to help me!" she begged, her eyes wide with fear. "My big sis got caught stealing a coat, and they took her away! They said something about sending her to the Citadel to fight in the games and I-I'm never going to see her again!"

She scrunched her lower lip to keep from crying. "You-you're wearing the Shinigami's mark, you can get her out! Please, Shinigami-sir!"

Kid looked down at the little girl pulling at his coat. She was skinny, so skinny. It looked as if a single gust of wind could knock her over.

"Where'd they take her?" he asked, taking her tiny hand in his and starting to pull her down the street.

"The base, I think," she replied, and they began to run, whizzing through the maze of streets that led to the dingy building.

She giggled, a pure, happy sound that fit her much better than the desperate pleas had.

"What's your name?" Kid called to the girl.

"Patty!" she practically sang back. "My big sis' name is Liz!"

"Call me Kid," he replied as they skidded to a stop in front of the low, out of place building that served as the temporary jail for the city. Suddenly, Patty tore her hand out of Kid's and crashed towards the gates, stumbling once or twice and falling.

"Wait!" Kid cried, hurrying over to help her up. He could see that some scabs on her knees had been reopened by the rough stone. "You can't just go running in there! They'll take you too!"

"I gotta get her back!" Her voice sounded harsh, much harder than an eight-year old's should. "I just gotta…"

"We are going to get her back, Patty. I promise."

* * *

It took talking.

_A lot _of talking, offers to pay the man back tenfold, and convincing that he was the actual son of Lord Death.

But it was all worth it when they finally brought Liz out, her hands still shackled. Her hair was darker and longer than her little sister's, but she was just as filthy and skinny. If anything, skinnier.

"Big sis!" Patty pushed through everyone and launched herself at her sister, wrapping her arms around Liz's waist and grinning.

Liz's expression softened and she placed her hands on Patty's head, whispering words of comfort. As the guards unlocked the shackles, she wrapped her arms around her little sister, lifting her up into her arms and smiling at Patty's giddy delight.

"You're free to leave," the guard snarled, "but if I see you causing trouble again, little bitch, I swear-"

"Enough," Kid ordered, and despite his youth, the fury behind the command was enough to silence the man.

As they walked out of the jail and back into the marketplaces, Liz stopped, put Patty down, and spun around to face Kid.

"Listen, Shinigami…" she began, one hand holding her little sister's and the other on her hip. "I appreciate what you did, I really do, but we aren't going to...come and be your slaves, or fight in the games, or run around and do weird favors for you… We owe you a lot, and we can repay it, if you want...just not like that."

It seemed as if Patty hadn't heard a word her sister had said, or maybe she just didn't care, because she ran up to Kid and wrapped herself around his leg. "Thanks, Kid!" she chirped.

"Kid?" Liz inquired as he patted Patty's head softly.

"Death the Kid," he answered, nodding at Patty. "Kid's fine."

Liz walked over and squeezed Patty's shoulder. The little girl untangled herself from Kid and stood calmly by her sister's side.

"Thank you, uh, sir, but we must be off. We've got to find dinner someplace…" Liz said awkwardly.

They turned and began to walk off, Patty shuffling dejectedly along the ground. He could hear them whispering, but couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Wait!"

Liz whipped around, an arm blocking Patty from moving forward. "What?" she snarled.

"How about you...uh...come over? To my house. Just for dinner…"

They stared blankly at him.

"Are you-are you doing this outta pity?" Liz growled, advancing on Kid as Patty bounced behind her. "We don't need your pity."

"Sissy!"

"Patty, we're leaving. Why'd you ask a Shinigami for help? He's going to think we're his servants or something!"

"Sis, they chained you up...I thought I was never gonna see you again…"

"Hey!" Kid intervened. "I helped your sister because it was the right thing to do, not because I wanted to take advantage of you two!" He stepped over to them just as a gust of wind blew through the street, driving freezing rain into their already stiff and frozen clothing. Patty yelped and snuggled into Liz, who pulled her close.

"Please, let me help you." He lifted a hand to tuck some of Liz's hair behind her raw ears, and draped his cloak around her shoulders.

Liz glanced down at her sister, who was snuggling into her side, hiding under the cloak but still shivering violently. There was ice in her hair, and their threadbare clothes barely helped to keep out the cold.

She nodded wearily. "Maybe-maybe just for dinner…"

* * *

It'd been worth his father's confusion to see their faces as they stepped into the warmth of his home.

"Oooh!" Patty called as she entered, taking her shoes off and looking around. "It's so big!"

"And warm," Liz added, holding her sister's hand.

"Come through here," Kid said, guiding them to a large room full of soft, cushy chairs and a large fireplace.

Patty giggled happily, running through the maze of furniture and curling up next to the fire, laughing the entire way.

"Patty!" Liz cried, running after her and letting out a laugh of her own as she felt the heat of the fire. She sat down next to her sister and pulled Patty into her lap, kissing the top of her head.

Kid grabbed some blankets from a closet and draped them over both their shoulders. Patty looked so happy, curled up against her sister, her eyes shut as she giggled softly.

Liz looked up at Kid, her face loose with joy. "Thank you…" she murmured.

"Of course…" he replied, sitting down next to them.

"Kid? Who are these people?"

Kid spun around to see his father standing in the doorframe.

"Dad...I, uh…" Kid muttered. "I wanted to help them."

Liz stood up, still holding Patty in her arms. "Sir, we'll leave, if you want, Shinigami-sama."

"No, no, no, it's much too cold outside for you to leave just yet. Stay by the fire; Kid, how about we talk in private just for a minute?

Kid smiled at Liz, who bowed before sitting back down, tickling her sister and playing with her hair.

"Dinner is in half an hour, ma'm. I've left new clothes for each of you in the other room."

"Thank you so much!" Liz called as the maid left. There was a tub full of steaming water, and Liz hurried to help Patty undress before she jumped into the bath fully clothed.

_A bath, wow. _Liz thought as she pulled her own clothing over her head. Looking down herself, she winced. Every single one of her ribs was countable, and her legs and arms were nothing more than bones with some skin and muscle clinging to them. Patty was just as bad, if not worse.

"Soap!" Patty cried, stepping into the steaming bath water. She grabbed the bar and rubbed it all over her body. "Mmm, it smells so good!"

Liz followed her sister, entering the bath and sinking into the warm water, sighing as all the dirt drifted off of her.

"Don't get used to it, Patty," she sighed. "We'll probably have to leave tomorrow."

"Why? I like it here!" Patty complained. "Everyone's nice and it's warm."

"It's not our home, Patty. Make sure you're polite."

" 'Kay," Patty replied dejectedly.

Slipping the dress on was one of the greatest sensations she'd ever experienced. The fabric was so silky and smooth, and clean...and warm…

Patty laughed as she slipped her dress on, twirling around happily. She grabbed Liz's hand and pulled her into her happy dances, which she joined half-heartedly.

There was a knock on the door. "It's Kid. Can I come in?"

"Sure," Liz replied.

He slid into the room, his mouth wide as he saw them.

It felt so good not to be cold, or dirty, to wear clothing that didn't have holes and was thick as paper.

Kid's mouth widened at the sight of them, then stared at his feet. "Dinner's ready, if you want to come down."

"Yum!" Patty cried, tugging on Liz's hand. "We can go, right, Sis?"

"Of course, Patty," Liz said, her expression guarded. She really hoped Patty didn't think this was permanent. It'd kill her little sister to think they had a home, only to be tossed out.

Which was what would happen, Liz was sure of it. There was no way they'd take them in, put the time in to care about them. Why would they? No one ever had, not even their own parents.

Though it was fun to walk down the stairs and feel like a princess, and to smell the fresh food on the table.

Dinner was some type of fish, rice with vegetables, and bread rolls, with what looked like fresh butter. It seemed to be a modest meal for someone as important as a Shinigami, but it was more food than either of the girls had ever seen in their lives.

"Whoa!" Patty cried, running to take a seat at the table. She reached for a roll, but Liz slapped her hand back.

"Patty! That's rude!" The elder sister snapped as she took her seat.

"Oh, sorry! Thank you so very much for the food, sir!"

"Oh, no need for formalities, dig in, dig in!"

They didn't need to be told twice. Within minutes, they'd each had three rolls, half of their fish, and all of the rice.

_It must be a street thing, _Kid thought, _They've never had enough to eat, so when there is food, they eat as much as they can._

He looked at his father, who seemed amused at how quickly they were eating everything. Deep down, Kid knew they weren't going to turn these girls out on the street. It would look good, a Shinigami taking in two orphan girls, and it'd be nice to have some company.

When they were finished, there wasn't a scrap of food left on the table. His father mentioned something about letting them stay the night, which caused Patty to jump in glee, and Liz to insist they didn't have to, but her argument was half-hearted.

Maybe, for the first time, things could work out for them.

* * *

Violent, fiery pain seized Patty's entire abdomen, and she woke up screaming. She wasn't even sure if she could move, every muscle in her stomach was tight and coursing with agony.

She screamed and screamed until the urge to vomit took over. _I can't puke in this nice bed, _Patty thought, and she rolled out of bed, stumbling over to the chamber pot. For the first time she could remember, she vomited, emptying her stomach into the pot.

"Patty!" Kid called as he flung the door open and ran inside. "You too?"

"Yeah," she replied miserably. "It's like fire in my-"

Her reply was cut off as she vomited again. She felt Kid's hand on her back, patting it gently. "It's the food. Your stomach isn't used to having that much or stuff that rich. It's going to be okay."

She let out a choked sob as her body heaved and heaved, all the fancy food and feelings of a full stomach replaced by torturous pain and a disgusting mass of half-digested food.

"It's alright, it's alright," Kid soothed clumsily. He pulled her hair back out of her face.

It took over an hour to get all of it out. An hour of agony, shivering, sobs, and when it was over, neither Liz nor Patty's stomach had a scrap of food left in it.

By the time she was done, Patty was so exhausted that Lord Death carried her back to bed, bringing her into Liz's room so the sisters could wake up together.

"Father," Kid said as he entered their room. "Please, tell me we don't have to turn them away."

"No, I don't think that'd be right," he replied, looking down at the sleeping girls. "They're lovely children, Kid. I think it's about time you had some sisters."


End file.
